Mankind’s dream of flying has inspired an enormous amount of research into aviation – and led to today’s highly developed commercial and military aerospace industries.

As technology has advanced, so have the qualitatively and regulatory requirements imposed on aircraft, avionics and aviation as a whole. The main issues range from electromagnetic interference (EMI) to environmental factors such as air pressure, temperature and the direct and indirect effects of lightning, to vibration stresses on materials, components, and entire systems. In addition, the market now demands the use of novel materials in aircraft hulls. These offer higher stability combined with lower weight, and drive down costs in comparison to metals.

The three main causes of EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) issues are:

Thunderstorms

Heavy electromagnetic interference in air and space

Mutual electromagnetic interference between parts of a system

Due to the increased use of carbon fibre, the fuselage no longer acts as a Faraday cage, protecting against direct and indirect effects of lightning. Furthermore, system reliability under any conditions is of paramount importance – for example, during thunderstorms or heavy electromagnetic interference. Flight safety cannot be guaranteed unless all airborne equipment – from components to entire systems – has passed stringent tests.